10/13/2026
Dear Dad,
On October 11, 2026, I said goodbye to you, and you crossed over into your next adventure.
Most people knew you as “Texas Jim Knight.” To me, you were Dad—a man whose life was filled with western movies, music, stages, and stories from a lifetime of adventures.
You were born James Thomas Knight on October 19, 1947, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, to Mary “Elizabeth” Johnson and Thomas Edward Knight. You spent your childhood there, but your fascination with western movies, acting, and singing began early. As soon as you were old enough, you went looking for adventures and a life as an entertainer.
That search led you to Tommy Scott’s Old Time Medicine Show and took you across the United States and Canada. In 1975, while performing in Grafton, North Dakota, you met my mom, Donna Fay Severson. You married in 1979, and I was born in 1983, your only child.
After you and my Mom parted ways, she and I remained in Grafton, while you continued traveling with the show and later joined the Jose Cole Circus. Your work gave you stories to tell and opportunities to meet people you were always excited to tell me about.
You loved playing the guitar while singing my favorite songs to me and sharing the old western movies you knew so well. My favorite memory is watching Roy Rogers in Under California Stars with you. You always let me choose the movie, and that was the one I wanted.
Later, when your traveling days were over, you found another audience at the local television station, introducing old western movies on Saturday mornings. I remember you telling me about it and how much you loved doing it. You had so much knowledge about those films—the actors, their lives, and the stories behind the scenes—and this gave you a place to share it.
Our relationship had distance and years we cannot get back, but it also had songs, stories, and memories that belong to us. As I write about your life, I want to make room for those memories and for the things that brought you joy.
You were preceded in death by your Father, Thomas Edward Knight; your Brother, Kevin Edward Knight; your mother, Elizabeth Johnson Knight Gafford; and your stepfather, Robert Dean Gafford.
Your surviving family includes me, Heather, my husband, Chris Winter, and your six grandchildren: Chris Jr., Carson, Nolan, Aurora, Melody, and Wilder, all residing in Minnesota.
You're also survived by your dear lifelong family friend, Cindy Ellis, and the many friends who were more like family that checked on you after your mother’s passing also hold a place in your story. I am grateful for their kindness and companionship.
When I remember you, I will remember your singing, your passion for horses, your stories—so many fascinating stories—and how much you loved those old westerns. And I will remember sitting beside you, choosing Under California Stars one more time.
Time to rest now, cowboy.
With love,
Heather
A graveside service will be held at 11 AM, Thursday, October 15, 2026, at Rosedale Cemetery in Pembroke, Kentucky, with Bro. Reed Shepherd officiating.
Arrangements are being handled by Goodwin Funeral Home, Inc., 138 Main Street in Cadiz, Kentucky
